What is mining?
Mining: is extracting
ore or minerals from
the ground
Ore: the natural
material large
enough and pure
enough to be mined
for profit.
Types of Mines
• There are two main types of mines.
1)
Surface Mining
2)
Subsurface Mining
Surface Mining
• Surface mining is used to remove mineral
deposits on or near the Earth’s surface.
• There are 3 types of surface mines:
1. Open-pit: removes large, near surface deposits of
minerals such as gold and copper. Mined
downward in layers
2. Quarries: stone, crushed rock, sand, gravel
3. Strip Mining: removing surface coal in strips up
to 50 m wide x 1 Km long
Surface Mining
• This quarry in
northwest
Georgia is an
open pit used
to mine
granite.
Subsurface Mining
Subsurface Mining
…. A video
about mining
coal.
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/images/minmethd.gif
Mining Demonstration
Which type of
mining am I
demonstrating?
Effects of Mining on the Environment
What happens to a mine when it is no
longer being used?
• Mine reclamation is
the process by which
land used for mining is
returned to its original
state or better.
• Has been required by
law since the mid1970’s.
http://www.abandoned-mines.org/home-e.htm
Mining
• To reduce the effects of mining, reduce our need for
minerals, reuse, and recycle.
Reduce: use less
Reuse: get as much use out of the materials you
have.
Recycle: use the material to make something
else, rather than throwing it away.
About Gemstones
• Gemstones are highly valuable minerals
because they are beautiful and rare, not
because they are useful.
• Color is the most important characteristic of a
gemstone. The more attractive the color is,
the more valuable the gem is.